1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for clamping an axle which supports the front wheel to the front forks of a 2-wheeled vehicle .
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 4-18089 is an example of this kind of device. In this example, an axle holder is provided on each of the lower parts of a pair of left and right front forks. The axle holder supports both ends of the axle which passes through the front wheel between both axle holders.
In more detail, the axle is equipped with a large diameter part at one end and a small diameter part in line with the large diameter part. The tip end of the small diameter part forms a screw part and is fastened to an axle nut. A holder covers the large diameter part and the small diameter part from above with a freely removable cap fastened with bolts to the holder. Moreover, in this prior art device, the tip of the small diameter part is fastened directly to the holder and not by an axle nut. In addition to the above, another example includes an axle nut with a collar at both ends attached in position to a holder and clamped by a cap.
Furthermore, in addition to the cap method, a split clamp method includes a slot provided in the axle holder. After engaging the axle nut in the axle opening, the slot part is clamped and the axle nut is fastened.
According to the clamping construction of the aforesaid cap method, while it is possible to position the axle nut, since it is possible to use an axle nut with a collar provided on both ends, there is the possibility that the axle nut will fall out when the cap is removed during maintenance.
On the other hand, in the clamping construction of the split clamp method, while it is possible to prevent the axle nut from falling out, since the axle nut must be inserted from one side into the axle opening of the holder, it is not possible to provide a collar on the insertion side end. As a result, positioning is not possible. The object of the present invention is to simultaneously solve these various problems.